Donald Trump faced a lawsuit from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico after the Trump White House revoked their journalists’ press credentials and blocked them from reporting from the White House grounds.
The three news organizations argued that the administration violated their First Amendment rights by restricting access because it objected to their reporting. They filed their case in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico allege the Trump administration violated their First Amendment rights by revoking White House press access
CNN, MS NOW and Politico said the government removed their journalists’ White House press access without giving them notice or an opportunity to challenge the decision.
“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the organizations said in a joint statement.
As per Variety, the outlets asked the court to restore their press credentials immediately. They also sought an order preventing administration officials from taking further action to keep their journalists away from the White House.
In their filing, the companies argued that officials could not remove established press access simply because they disliked an outlet’s coverage. They described the decision as a direct attack on First Amendment protections.
The Donald Trump lawsuit also named White House communications director Steven Cheung, Secret Service director Sean Curran and White House chief of staff Susan Wiles as defendants.
The outlets pointed to an earlier dispute involving CNN journalist Jim Acosta during Trump’s first administration. In 2018, the administration revoked Acosta’s White House credentials following a confrontation involving a microphone.
A federal judge temporarily ordered officials to restore his access while CNN pursued legal action. The White House later dropped the matter, and CNN ended its case.
Trump defended the latest action in a Truth Social post. He denied that the administration had launched an attack on press freedom and said it had targeted what he called “FAKE NEWS.” “The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” Trump wrote.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico challenged that position in their First Amendment lawsuit, arguing that the government could not punish news organizations based solely on objections to their reporting.
